Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-17
THE OLD r.. A."
PART /.

PART I.
Sixty-fvc years ago, in the great manu-
featuring town Of Birmingham, which then
was only in the dawn of its prosperity,
certain worthy button npanufacturer-not
CrGsus, by any means, but of wealth suf-
fcient for modern wants-of the name of
Fellowes, became. the happy father of
con. The button-maker was stout, John
Bullish, bu-iness-likc, practical; his wife,
Marianne, was the daughter of a Baptist
minister Of somewhat bookish habits,
had vein Of gentle romance and loved
her Mrs. Hemans next to Cowper's Hymns,
the " Pilgrims Progress" and the Bible
The father suggested the unpretending
names Of John, Richard, Henry, which lat
ter had Il tendency in his mouth to lose one
letter; the mother wished for something
more poetic Tor the infant Hercules, who,
she was sure, would grow up to something
remarkable. She suggested Gerald, Cyril,
Cecil, Leonard. The father made a wry
face at each, but he WAS heartily fond and
proud Of his sentimental superior" wife,
and wished to please her. At last she dis
covered among her anccstors-for she
boasted Of ancestors, while he did not go
beyond 4 grandfather who had kept Il
small cheesemonger's shop-a certain Sc
bastian. This was too alluring name.
She harped on the Sebastian till her
husband in onh ka how IoI,
christened-for Richard Fellowes did not
hold with the Baptists by this high
sounding appellation and Sebastians
mother, as mothers have Il way
Of doing. built her airy castles
Of his future. and dreamt of the
honor she would shed on the family
dreams seemed likely to be fulfilled. He
was-every one said so, not only his pa
rents and his nurse-a beautiful baby,
strong, vigorous, rosy-checked, dimpled
he read at four; he got well through the
preliminary tortures of pothooks and
hangers; he even triumphed rapidly over
the multiplication table. His mother
adored him, and nourished his growing
mind with such literature as she understood
and loved. But the oldest thing was that
the child began to develop an unexpected
talent. Neither father, mother uncle,
aunt nor grandl aren't had shown any
marked leaning i'll the same direction, for
feeble pencil landscapes, with trees done
IN little rows Of three, black silhouettes, or
Berlin-work figures, can hardly be called
works Of art. Sebastian was going to be
an artIrtl At five he scratched figures
with knittlng-needle on the color washed
walls OF the night nursery above his bed /;
nc scrawied on his slate with more inten-
ton than Is generally shown in such eff
forts he covered his books with men and
women IN violent action; he made a por-
trait at eight OF the black cat and his
Grandfather Miidmay, with his big, round
spoetacles, which were very like he spoiled
every thing he touched that would admit
being drawn upon
That was his fathers version His
mothers was very different. If he failed
to get Il high place at school, she excused
him by saying that his head was full OF
other thiugs-you could not expect q
genius 10 be good al rule of three and hiC
haze hoe. 1t was not that he was idle OF
obstinate, As his master said; it was that
he mad not scope to show his talents Her
husband good-naturedly scolded her fol
her folly, while all the time his'own hear
was weak about this only son. He wa.
now fifteen, and old enough to "come int
the business" as the manufacturer an
uounced in 4 matrimonial tetc-a-tete TO hi
wife
A stranger, usually glancing at this
couple-the husband black-browed, thick
set, with 4 somewhat bulldog set of fea,
lures, stout and solid figure, and loud
rather clustering manner of speech; the
wife mild-eyed, pretty in an old-fashioned,
intensely feminine fashion, as much like a
brown-haired spaniel as he was to bull
dog, with her dropping curls and soft, in.
sipid smile-woald perhaps have thought
him domestic tyrant and her willing
slave. The facts were just opposite The
Birmingham button-naker was entirely
led, if in a sillen string by his softly senti.
mental wife; she could do with him what
she pleased. In his eyes she was high
born, elegant, accomplished, interesting
he was diffident about his own tastes, and
dependent on her mind outside the sphere
of his business, which he kept apart from
her. He had let her manage the boy as
he had let her name him according 60 her
fancy, and he thought himself favored by
fortune for hasing won so uncommon Z
wife, as he called her. He had misgiv.
ing that his Marianne's opinion on the
subject of Sehastian's career might not
2gree with his, and so, though he pro.
nouneed it with i great show of determine
alton as if il We're an .unalterable decree
he mentally waited with some anxiety to
hear what she had to say.
You really think of our Sebastian
taking to the business, Richard ?" his wife
cried, raising her mild voice above lis
usual level, and throwing up her long,
thin, mittened hands with q gesture OF
establishment. Eeu cannot he serious.
dearest You mas know it win never
be-
Why on earth pa;2 Its not bad
business, nor ansthing disgraeeful You
used not to despise ine for being manu-
factGzer, Marianne
You, dear, oh, MOI ] have nothing to
say against the business for you. But
Sebastian is different. He Ia genius; he
must follo~.his bent"
Mr.. Felloges shrugged his square sho1l-
ders in a helpless sort OF way. He was
silent for a nloment, and he then said in (
dubious tone, l doubt genius bnttering
his bread, Marianne"
My dear, everyone thinks hipi won
der. showed Mr. Gilberton, the FRI me-
maker, his book of drawings, and he id
they we're s-ton-ish-ing' Gilbertson
should be judge, if anyone is. He says
We ought 10 send him 70 study i'll London
lie knows an artist, a very gifted MAE, who
takes pupils and trains them for the Royal
Academy, Il would be dreadful 10 Re